Can you imagine such a tempting proposal: go shopping in Istanbul, take a bus from North Macedonia, stay in a four-star hotel in the Bosphorus for three nights, and then return, the total cost is 79 euros? Choose a five-star hotel and raise it to 85 Euros?
This is exactly what the passengers of Macedonian company coaches provide Bessa Trans Skopje It crashed and burned in Bulgaria. The official death toll was 44, including 12 children and adolescents. Only 7 survivors escaped by breaking the rear window.
The company’s motto is “Bus travel in line with European standards.”
European standard?
Preliminary investigation results show that this bus does not have an international passenger transport permit. If it is allowed to cross the border, it must be attributed to (wink) the border civil servants.
Although Bulgaria has been a member of the European Union since 2007, it is not uncommon in this part of the world.
The investigation is ongoing, so we will not prejudge the possible cause of the crash. Instead, we will talk about context.
Such tourist excursions in the Balkans are usually carried out in the form of long night bus transfers. The goal is to save on accommodation costs: stay two nights less.
But the Balkan roads are notoriously dangerous. On April 4, 2004, a Bulgarian bus returning from a night trip from Croatia crashed into the Lim River in Serbia: 12 Bulgarian children died. Since then, Bulgaria has banned children from riding buses at night.
But this did not prevent 12 Macedonian children from dying near Sofia.
As for the bus fire, there are reports of an explosion and it will burn within a few seconds. The ongoing forensic investigation is expected to provide more information on this matter.
At the same time, it is an open secret that many bus drivers fill 20-liter plastic cans with fuel at gas stations in Turkey, because the fuel there is cheaper. Even their respective gas stations have been identified.
It is forbidden to transport fuel in plastic tanks, but who cares? According to reports, in order to avoid control, the bus driver loaded the tank in the spare tire compartment and then moved the wheel to the luggage compartment. Everyone knows this plan, but there is a little Bakshi at the border and it works.
Similarly, gambling-minded Greeks fill up gas tanks and cans in Bulgaria, where fuel is cheaper. They believe this will reduce their expenses at border casinos.
Contrabands are commonplace among Balkan travel companies.
A source known to the author accidentally opened the toilet door of a coach bound for Brussels, Bulgaria. The entire toilet cubicle was filled with piles of beer, apparently to be delivered to a Bulgarian store in Brussels. Many passengers may have noticed, but no one said a word. It is widely known and widely assumed.
Sometimes, the bus transportation company respects the two-driver rule for international travel, but sometimes the second driver just talks on paper.
Obviously, control is hardly a problem, because bakshish always works. Officially, a company like Besa Trans Shkup has only four coaches (the coach burned near Sofia is not on its official list). In order to meet the demand, the coach must travel back and forth non-stop. This is a lot of driving, especially for a driver.
Then, there is a way…
Even if a road is newly built (Just like coach Besa Trans was burned), in the Balkans, there are incredible shortcomings everywhere.
There are usually no horizontal reflection marks, only traces of old marks, which is misleading.
In bad weather, even experienced drivers can get lost. Road signs are missing or invisible, because local entrepreneurs put advertisements on them, or because someone stole them. Take the road where the carriage burned as an example, This is what the reflective stud looks like.
The Balkans is indeed a special place, in terms of geography and mentality: Black Friday is every day.
This newsletter may shock non-Balkan readers, but in the region, it can easily serve as an advertisement. It is tempting to visit Istanbul at a gift price. What is it? A bus burned down and hundreds of people arrived at their destination. At this price, let us reserve a seat.
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Summary
The draft of the new EU Directive, which will be released on December 14th, introduces a minimum Energy efficiency standards for existing buildings A major renovation project is underway as part of a new effort to achieve zero-emission buildings by 2050. Currently, about three-quarters of buildings in Europe have low energy efficiency. EU buildings account for about 40% of EU energy consumption and 36% of EU building energy consumption. Its greenhouse gas emissions.
A new study shows Electric heat pump is the best and most economical solution for individual heating, And it is “the most affordable option for consumers who want to decarbonize heating.” But this requires a high price. Production, procurement and installation costs are as high as 3,000 to 6,000 Euros in Poland and 2,500 Euros in the Czech Republic. To 5,000 Euros.
The new German government yesterday announced its alliance agreement, which includes some landmark climate plans. EURACTIV provides you with a comprehensive overview of Germany:
First, the leader agrees Promote the withdrawal of national coal, the “ideal” to 2030 Instead of 2038, and quickly accelerate the introduction of renewable energy. The alliance aims to fulfill the key climate policy commitments of all parties and embark on a path of emission reduction in line with the 1.5°C global warming limit of the Paris Agreement.
The coal withdrawal mentioned above is accompanied by the promotion of 80% renewable energy production capacity by 2030. But this plan is not without its shortcomings. The transformation will rely heavily on natural gas, and plans to increase natural gas power generation by 50% to replace coal and nuclear power plants that are being phased out.
Germany also intends At least 15 million electric vehicles will be on the road by 2030, Higher than the previous 14 million target. The Green Party previously called for a ban on the production of fossil fuel-burning cars by 2030, and to reserve the use of electronic fuels for industry, transportation, ships and aircraft, but neither of the other two groups supported such a ban.
And germany Will remain part of the NATO nuclear sharing agreement Under the leadership of the new government, this move will prevent rifts in the Western military alliance amid increasing tensions with Russia. Germany does not possess nuclear weapons, but possesses American nuclear bombs, which German tornado fighter jets will transport to their targets during the conflict.
In other news, the European Commission proposed Traveling to other countries within the group requires COVID-19 booster injections Next summer, if travelers want to avoid testing and quarantine. The proposal also indicated acceptance of all vaccines approved by the World Health Organization, which would allow people vaccinated with China and India to travel non-essentially from outside the European Union.
And the French official has announced France will not enter a lockdown or curfew, Instead, it speeds up its vaccination campaign to slow down the increase in COVID-19 cases during the fourth wave in Europe. The country’s national health authorities have shortened the recommended period of booster injections from six months to five months, and will provide vaccinations to French citizens 18 years and older.
The committee also Initiated a proposal to regulate political advertising, Introduce transparency obligations for marketers and strictly restrict the use of sensitive personal information. The proposal aims to protect the electoral process and democratic debate from manipulation and interference, and it will ideally be implemented in the spring of 2023, one year before the next European Parliament election.
The French government notified the European Commission of a new bill last week to ensure that electronic devices such as computers, phones, game consoles, and tablets are sold in the country Parental controls are pre-installed. The authors of the bill are “very confident” that Brussels will not oppose the proposed law.
Pay close attention, watch out, watch out…
- The leaders of the European Union and Asia actually meet at the annual Asia-Europe Meeting.
- Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson speaks on net zero issues at the ENTSO-E conference in 2021.
- Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean met with Moldovan officials to discuss EU support for transport infrastructure.
The opinions are those of the author.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic/Alice Taylor]
